


Second Chances

by Ruby_white_rabbit



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Found Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Post-Canon, Pregnancy, Slow Burn, Temporary Character Death, a fix it type fic?, bodyguard trope, emotional roller coasters here we go, lets hurt my ocs, super powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26745508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruby_white_rabbit/pseuds/Ruby_white_rabbit
Summary: Keeping an eye out for the Guard, Copley stumbles across a duo with unnatural abilities. While differing from them, there may still be a connection. With the government after them and now these two newbie vigilantes, can they keep everyone safe even when the unexpected just keeps happening?
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Nile Freeman, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 5
Kudos: 30





	1. Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic in ages so i apologize ahead of time. It's also a whole lot more dark than i normally write, but i promise it will end up okay and certain things will be touched on but not described in detail. Also, this most likely will be all written during ungodly hours so research will be limited. i apologize in advance for anything i get wrong because of that.
> 
> This fic is based off a rp with my friend Matt so now its a whole thing.

“Are you sure this isn’t just some internet hoax?” Nile asked as she leaned in to look at the footage Copley had sent the group on Nicky’s phone. He rotated between the senders just to make tracking harder for others if it ever came to it. Also gave them time to change numbers in between if necessary. “I mean, special effects are a thing now. Doesn’t take a lot to edit.”

“While I would agree with you, unfortunately for us, these appear to be genuine as they have multiple sources, including news coverage.” Copley replied over speaker. “Now, I’m not entirely sure if they’re connected to you, but they definitely would wind up on someone’s radar. As they have this one. And they’re definitely not normal.”

Nicky watched his phone, Nile peeking around as Joe rested his chin on Nicky’s shoulder to watch. Andy would watch it when they were finished. Copley had sent them several clips of two individuals, not all the footage was clear but what they could gather was a sort of superhero type duo. One flying in and sending blasts of something to flip a car, the force they used invisible to the eye for the moment. It appeared, from the hair being in a ponytail and being a fair amount shorter than their peer, to be a woman. Their partner on the other hand, was harder to identify aside from being male with dark hair, and frequently setting themselves and other objects on fire. The woman seemed to be more professional, wearing a grayscale uniform suit made from tactical material. The man, however, seemed to be much more spontaneous, wearing normal everyday clothes as he worked. 

“Its not confirmed who they are or who they work for.” Copley stated as they flipped through the videos before coming to a photo; the woman was sitting on the roof of a police car, apparently talking to an officer. “There’s speculation they work for local police but there’s nothing official and they skirt the issue when asked. Several officers have spoken out against them, however, as have other city officials. The citizens appear split on the issue. Either way, it seems this pair has abilities that would draw obvious attention. They are different from one another but also alone in that regard thus far. I may be wrong, but its possible that they may be like you but in another manner. Superpowers instead of immortality.”

“How have they not been caught already?” Nile asked, watching as the news footage showed the woman floating before sending out another blast. “They aren’t exactly hiding. Well, I mean, the girl has a mask for her eyes all batman and Robin style. The guy doesn’t seem to. He’s just gotten lucky apparently.”

“They have been caught.” Joe argued. “On camera. That’s dangerous enough because that’s proof to be used for later.” He specifically was remembering the footage that Copley had gathered back on the killing floor over a year ago. 

“How long have they been active?” Nicky asked.

“About a year officially.” Copley responded. “Seems there was a scattering of appearances and then some sort of shitshow happened right on the police station roof. Couple people got injured, a lieutenant lost his life in the process. There was a lot more activity after that, especially from the female. Seems she’s the primary and the male only shows up now and then. Doesn’t seem to be any real reason for it that I can tell yet.”

“And its just this one city?” Joe asked. “Not very safe when avoiding getting caught. Wonder why they stick around besides the police connection? Supposedly.”

Andy was quiet, sitting on the couch nearby and sipping a beer as she listened. When joe said that, she sighed and uncrossed her legs to stand up, walking over to take Nicky’s phone and look at it. “They’re children.” She said simply. “They stay where they’re comfortable. Where they feel safe. They know the city and the people; so they stay there to protect their home in whatever vigilante dream they’re living.” Her eyes scanned the current image of the woman that seemed to have been captured by someone’s cell phone after an incident. An EMT was tending to a wound on her head, although the mask remained on. “They have no idea what’s out there hunting people like them.”

“Aside from the city, are there any leads?” Nile asked, trying to read Andy’s face. Regret? Annoyance? Pity?

“The police are incredibly careful about this, even though a good handful don’t support them. There’s mention of them but not by name aside from nicknames or what the media has dubbed them. There’s no medical records either matching the dates of some incidents and what the injuries were or should have been. Stabbings, shootings, fights that would have resulted in broken bones. Nothing there of the sort that matched. At least at a glance.” He corrected himself at the end. “I have a hunch that possibly they somehow have connections to someone with medical experience to where they could avoid official doctor visits and do more house-call type situations.”

Joe looked at Nicky and exhaled at that. “Well connected.”

Andy tossed Nicky his phone back. “Not well enough. Copley found them. Their faces are easy to find online and they have a notable presence in their current location. I wouldn’t be surprised if they already have tails on them. They’re easy targets for the wrong people.”

Nile rubbed her neck as she considered that, looking between the others and then at the phone in Nicky’s hand. “So, what are we gonna do?”

“We’re going to go be the wrong people by being the right people.” Joe replied with a grin before giving Andy a knowing look as he continued to lean against Nicky’s shoulder, arms around his waist. They weren’t like them, but they were still different in a dangerous way. In all their centuries, none of them had encountered a being with abilities like these two. If they were connected, they couldn’t just leave them to be alone and unguarded from people who would want to try and harness those powers. They all knew far too well of how real that possibility was. 

Nicky nodded as he leaned back into Joe, closing the videos for the time being. “He’s right. We’re going to go to them. Find them. Protect them.”

“Send us the address Copley.” Andy said as she turned to go get some sleep before heading out. “And any other possible connections we might need to find them. How they’ve gone a year already without things going to shit is beyond me…”

\---------------------------------------------------------

They had gone hunting and had gotten nowhere with the authorities, as expected, even with Joe posing as a fairly charming journalist. Either he spoke to the wrong people, or they were the right people and just avoided the answers like they normally did. Nile had tried getting information from the local news station and paper, but their lips were sealed. Possibly because a city this small only really had the vigilante stories going for it at this point. So now they were down to luck and listening in to police scanners for the time being unless Copley and his cameras could find anything. Andy was standing outside of a rather abandoned lot not far from where Nicky was positioned on a rooftop with his scope; both keeping an eye out on different levels in what they had found to be one of the more active locations. There were still people around, but this location was empty and run down. If things went to plan, they shouldn’t have much of a problem.

“You really think we’re going to find them this way?” Nile asked as she positioned some of the papers just inside the door they had kicked open. “Burning down a building? Seems more like the type of thing the firemen would come to. Not superheroes.”

“You have to set it just in your favor.” Andy replied. “We know their powers for the most part, its just a manner of drawing them out.” She had been doing some deep research while the others had been making their rounds and asking questions. After finding some patterns, she found individuals in common, then found their schedules. She’d been doing this long enough to know what she was doing. 

Nile nodded and set the debris on fire, fanning it a bit before moving out of the way to make sure the flames were getting visible from the outside. She then stepped back in, fired a few shots from the gun she’d brought along, and moved back out with Andy.

Pulling out her newest burner phone, Andy had her call it in, having told her what to say. 

“Hey, I’m here at fifth and elm. I heard gunshots from this building. I haven’t seen anyone come out yet but it just started burning. Yeah, the building is on fire and I think there’s people inside with a gun.” She quickly hung up after stating that much, looking at Andy. “I really hope this goes the way you want it to.”

“They’ll arrive for the shooting, then they won’t go in due to the fire, but the firemen shouldn’t go in due to the threat of an active shooter. Once police clear the scene, they can take care of the flames but until then its a stalemate.” Andy replied. “To counter that issue, they’ll hopefully call for the vigilantes to deal with both issues at once.” She looked around and sighed. “In the meantime, we wait here.”  
Nile nodded, still not entirely convinced of the plan but she understood Andy’s thinking and trusted it.

A few minutes later, a police car rolled up, lights flashing. The officer saw them standing just off the property, assuming correctly that they made the call. He got out, hand on his gun all the same, although out of the line of sight from any windows on the building should the shooter still be a threat. Before he could say a word, Andy moved in, easily disarming him and throwing him to the ground, stunning him as his head bounced off the sidewalk. She grabbed his radio and spoke into it as she stood over him, gun pointed to his head. “You now have an officer down and I have his weapon.”

“I really hope you know what you’re doing.” Nile said nervously. She couldn’t’ die, well, she could even if it didn’t stick. However, she still knew how this would look and might go down.

“They have a small enough department where the dispatch is one location. Everything for any emergency service will go to the same place. Department is run on one system just a few different channels. This won’t take long to get around. Just keep an eye out. I’ve got this.” Andy promised.

“You’re not immortal anymore.” Nile protested, refusing to budge. “Backup will come, and they will fire if they deem it necessary. And they most likely will.”

Nicky kept an eye on them through his scope not far off. “Right, this is a right mess you’ve made, Andy.” He scanned the area over the next few passing minutes as sirens could be heard in the distance, holding steady as he noticed movement. “Someone’s coming.” He spoke into their com “Probably a civilian, but I doubt we want them wrapped up in this.” 

They definitely didn’t want anyone besides their targets involved if possible. The police officer was a necessary move. Besides, he was still alive for now. They really didn’t plan on killing anyone, just drawing those two persons of interest into the open if possible. 

“Definitely civilian.” Nile mumbled, noting the sweatshirt and jeans. She couldn’t fully make out the face, but she could tell they were young. Too young to be on the force. 

Nicky tried to focus on their face from where he was, seeing if he could get a better look but he was caught off guard by his gun being jerked suddenly into his face, the scope jamming into his eye. He swore, obviously startled and now in pain as he gripped the weapon on instinct to keep from losing it, and jumped back. Joe was yelling on his end of the coms, concerned about what he was hearing as Nicky suddenly grunted, hitting the rooftop with his back. This was an ambush. 

He moved on instinct then, no longer worried about collateral as he fought back, dodging what he could see and being pushed back and off balance by something he couldn’t, a constant roaring in his ears. Whatever was being said into his ear now, he couldn’t hear over the sound around him. The person he was against was clever, he would give them that much, but untrained and sloppy. He had taken a few hits, but soon he was dodging easily and even hitting them back. It didn’t take much to overpower them then, using his rifle to grab them and pin them down under him. The deafening roar stopped once they were subdued, he noticed. He was surprised when he found himself looking down at a young woman, who was struggling and looking pissed, even though part of her face was hidden behind a mask. This was one of the ones they’d been looking for.

“Hey…” Nicky panted slightly, wondering how she had found him for a moment since he would have heard the roof access door nearby if it had opened. 

She glared up at him, breathing hard from their struggle but obviously not ready to back down just yet. “I wont let you…”

“Let me what?” He asked, genuinely curious what she was talking about before he felt something slam into his chest, flinging him backward and once again onto his back. As he coughed, wind knocked out of him, he saw the woman scrambled to her feet, ready to fight again. She was far from a fighter, although she put on a good front. He could tell she had little to no training, and a shit technique as she didn’t even take a stance he recognized. Once he caught his breath, he knew he could easily kick her ass. Hell, he could probably do it now even with one watering eye and the wind knocked out of him.  
Or at least he would have, if Joe hadn’t come barreling through the door and tackled her. Arms secured around her, she yelled and kicked, squirming to try and get free from the protective immortal wrapped around her. 

“Let me go! I wont let you hurt him!”

Nicky looked down at them, confused as he finally took in a clear breath and picked his gun up again. “What? Hurt who?”

Nile’s voice came through coms next, sounding a bit unsure of how to go about things as she spoke. “Hey, uh, guys? We got one of them. The fire one? And you’re not gonna believe this…” She stood next to Andy who had him on the ground, secured by the handcuffs she had stolen from the knocked out officer nearby. She looked him over, still not believing she was seeing this. “He’s just a kid.”


	2. Obligations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the Guards have found the vigilantes, they try to find a way to understand them and help them while learning a bit about the pair and their history. Can they earn their trust?

Andy had knocked him out far easier than she had anticipated, if only briefly, now feeling a little guilty that she had done so to a child. Just a little. He had been a threat at the time. Nile had gone to intercept when he approached them acting concerned for the downed officer. When he got closer and realized they had been the ones to do it and not just call it in, his hands caught on fire just a moment before Andy ran and covered his upper body with her jacket. He had struggled, trying to free his trapped and smothered hands but a simple kick to his legs sent him off balance and to the ground firmly. An added punch for good measure when the hard impact wasn’t enough to stop his fighting.

They had uncuffed him and helped him move to their secondary location once confirming he would no longer be a threat to them, now sitting in a secure meeting area away from where the police and firemen were now swarming, trying to get statements or any other sort of clue to what happened. The officer left behind had his gun and handcuffs returned before anyone arrived, raising more questions by the time backup had arrived.

It took some convincing that they wouldn’t harm either of them and only wanted to talk in order to get them to willingly relocate themselves without issue, but the fact that both her and the boy seemed a bit uncomfortable with guns actively around made them respond a lot more favorably. Joe had to temporarily secure the woman’s wrists as they moved her to the meet up, as they found a majority of her power control came from her hands. Once they reached their temporary safe house of sorts, they cut her loose so she could go be next to her companion, who was in too much pain to really even want to be active.

“Now, we promise we’re not here to harm you.” Nile said before looking at the boy who gave her a raised brow, even through his headache. “Okay… anymore. That was unintentional for the most part. We just want to talk.”

“And why should we trust you?” The woman asked, still on edge and ready to throw down even if she was going to lose. 

“Because if we wanted to hurt you or worse, you would be.” Nicky replied. “We’ve been in that position before and we wouldn’t wish that on anyone. We’re here just for information and to help.” He held his hands up at that, showing he was unarmed for the moment. “No weapons. No needles. We just want to talk and make sure you guys are alright because the next time someone finds you they probably wont be as kind.”

The boy groaned, holding his head as he sat across from the Guard, dark hair a mess as he had been rubbing the place that now had a goose egg from impact with the ground. He couldn’t have been out of high school yet, which would explain his sporadic schedule for appearing if he was in fact still in school. He was remarkably ordinary in appearance for his part, although Nile might argue that girls his age would find him rather cute. There was just one thing that made him stand out which they found slightly curious given the circumstances: A red burn scar that ran from his left shoulder, up his neck, and stopped just under his left eye, not yet touching his mouth. His hands, which had been burning earlier, were untouched by any similar marks.

The woman on the other hand, had her mask removed by Nicky before Joe would let her go. She hadn’t been happy about it but given that it gave them leverage and also made her realize they had the upper hand and she couldn’t win; she was much more cooperative. They noted that she also seemed younger than they were expecting, around the same age as Nile in her early twenties. Along with that, she looked remarkably similar to the boy in appearance as far as facial features and hair color. 

“I’m sorry I slammed your gun into your face.” She said once they were all settled in, making sure the boy was awake and alright. “I saw you with it aimed at him and, well, I didn’t want you to hurt my brother.”

Nicky nodded, his bruise she had caused already gone. “Understandable.” Honestly, he probably would have done something similar had he been in her position with the knowledge available. If anyone pointed any weapon at Joe or vice versa… “It was definitely a surprise. An arial attack while on the roof. I was unaware of how high your ability allowed you to float.”

“So,” Nile spoke next, looking between the two “You guys are brother and sister?” They nodded. “And you both somehow have powers?”

The boy raised his hand, other one still holding his head. “That... would be my fault.”

They all looked at him, wondering how something like what they dealt with could be anyone’s fault. They had just come across their abilities by chance, but this boy was claiming responsibility. 

“I messed up.” He sighed. “I was messing around with some ingredients I stole out of the science lab in the kitchen at home and they reacted poorly to one another. There was an explosion…” the boy gestured to his face and shrugged. “Next thing we know, we have powers.”

“We have guesses on how it happened, why our powers are different, but no real proof.” The girl said. “And without knowing exactly how much of what did what, we cant recreate it or try to reverse what Mason did.”

“Right.” He perked slightly at his name, figuring they might as well tell them who they were since they already had their faces and the ability to hunt them down without names. “I’m Mason, and that’s Layla, by the way.”

“Nile.” She introduced herself then pointed at each of the others around them. “That’s Nicky and Joe, and you met Andy.”

He nodded, rubbing his head at that before lowering his hand to his lap as Nicky spoke next. 

“What you two can do is very unique. And there’s people that would want that. To use that for… well, they would claim good…”

“We know.” Layla cut him off. “It was something our dad pointed out at the beginning. It’s why we’ve done what we do. Mask to hide my face, Mason’s hood and goggles… which he forgot tonight, avoiding media when possible although its near impossible now anyway, select few officers in on it to help cover…” she made a slight face. “The more we work with them, the more messed up things seem to be. I don’t like it. But if I don’t step in and try to help, then things could get worse if anyone else showed up. If I can avoid someone getting shot…”

“You’ve put people in the hospital.” Nicky said softly, watching their reactions. “You’ve damaged property. Is that really helping?”

Layla tensed slightly, biting her lip before she responded, looking at him. “But they’re alive. No shots were fired at them. I contained the threat and kept people alive. That’s what I promised to do.”  
Joe leaned forward a bit at that, curious as to what she meant. “Promised who?”

“Our dad.” Mason said quietly, avoiding eye contact. 

Layla took over then. “The reason we work with the cops is because we have to. Our dad was one. He was their superior and hand picked who would know what in order to keep us out of trouble. To keep us safe.” She took a breath. “It’s definitely not a perfect system, not by a long shot, but it’s the only one we got and we haven’t gotten caught so far.”

“Until now.” Andy replied, raising a brow. 

“Keep people safe. Do what you can.” Layla muttered in response to Andy's jab. “We have these powers now and it makes us targets, but… if we do nothing with them, if people get hurt because we didn’t act and we were able to do something, then we’re just as bad as whatever is hurting them. If we just stand by and allow things to happen…”

“You’re children.” Joe cut her off. “This shouldn’t be all on you. This responsibility your father forced upon you isn’t something you should have to carry. He wants you to be safe, and yet sent you out into the line of fire. I’m sorry to say but he used you. He used you as weapons for his own gain just as those looking for you would. He just made it seem more like a choice on your end, without threats or experiments. He made you think you were helping others by endangering yourselves and putting targets on your back.”

“That’s not…” Layla stated to protest but the way he said it, made a lot of sense. She didn’t like it by any means, especially making their father out to be that way; but was he wrong? She hadn’t really had a say in it when he found out about her powers. She had wanted to just ignore them and live a normal life. He wanted her to control them first. If she couldn’t control them, she would out herself and then definitely never be able to live normally. That had been the argument. So then, how much of what they were doing now was really up to them? Was it choice, or a sense of obligation?

“Those officers that you have on your side,” Nicky asked, “They’re your friends, yes? Or at least your father’s? If they care about you, why would they let you continue to do this? Especially you.” He pointed to Mason. “You are a child. No reasonable adult would send a child into a war zone. How old are you anyway?”

"Seventeen." Mason replied, making Joe stand up and throw his hands up slightly, almost as if he was cursing someone in the hard exhale he released. 

"Diciassette..." Nicky breathed, rubbing his face with a hand as he took that in.

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Layla asked. “That’s what happens, right? You get powers, you do something with them. That’s how it always is in the comics and movies.”

“Those aren’t real though.” Nile spoke up. “They’re just stories. You are real though. We are real. We get to pick what we do with our lives and abilities. What we’re trying to do right now, is protect you two. We know what’s out there. We know what will happen if the wrong people get you and we don’t want that for you.”

Andy had been quiet as she listened to them all, watching the boy in particular. “Your father,” she finally spoke, getting them both to look at her. “The report we got mentioned a lieutenant died a year ago when you two became more noticeably active. That was him, wasn’t it?” Mason avoided eye contact and nodded. She didn’t need the whole situation, that was enough for now. “You’re still doing this out of some sort of obligation to the dead. He’s not going to hold you accountable if you decide to stop. Without him around to keep them in check, what’s to keep the officers he assigned from turning on you? From twisting their motives or selling you out? Familiarity only goes so far. Everyone has a line. Everyone has reasons for betrayal.” 

The siblings were quiet as they let that sink in. Andy’s words hitting in a way to let them know that she had first hand experience with that. Nickys earlier statement reinforced that. They knew what it was to be turned on by those they trusted.

“What do you want with us?” Layla asked finally. “What do you want us to do? You make it seem like theres something about us that’s…”

Andy turned and shot Nile in the leg, making her swear and Layla scramble to her feet to help, stopping when she saw the skin closing under the now bloody material of her pants.

“Shit, Andy… I know we talked about proving it but more warning next time!”

“Youre fine.” She smiled slightly before looking back at the vigilantes. “We’re immortal. We don’t know how or why, but we are. We die and come right back. We get injured and heal in a fraction of the time you would.” Nicky pointed to his eye, which Layla just realized from their earlier scuffle should have been darkly bruised by now. “And you two are the first ones like you that we have encountered in millennia.”

“We want to keep you two safe.” Nicky said, voice gentle, honest as he realized he felt a kinship to these siblings. All they had all this time was each other. Just the two of them. Like he and Joe had been. “We found you with one man on a computer and the internet. There are others out there with far more who would do far worse than just want to talk. If you’ll let us, we’ll help you.”

Layla searched his face, Mason glancing at her for approval before either of them spoke. “How?”

“For starters, we can help make you invisible.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian- diciassette = seventeen (according to google)


	3. Power mechanics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now at Layla's home, the group sits down to try and find out what makes these two siblings tick. Still being fairly new to their abilites, however, its relatively anyone's guess

Layla had been unusually quiet in Mason’s opinion as they all made their way to her apartment; the safest and most private place they could come up with in the moment with limited cameras. Andy didn’t trust their motel and they didn’t know the city well enough otherwise to find another location where they could talk comfortably in private. Especially with police still in the area. With Layla on good terms with a number of them for the moment, it was easier to get back to their van and to her complex.

Joe had to take a moment to just take in how young they actually were once they were in proper lighting and Layla had changed out of her work gear and into a t-shirt and pajama pants, letting her hair down. He knew that Nicky probably saw it too. Mason’s face still held his youth, although his height countered it slightly. Layla however definitely seemed younger out of uniform. She may have been about Nile’s age but she almost appeared closer to Mason’s at a glance, having one of those younger appearances with large eyes and a round face. She also was small, which didn’t help much especially when beside her brother who was around Andy and Nile’s height. Layla was about a head shorter than all of them. These were children they were dealing with and he hated that fact. It wasn’t fair.

“So…” Layla looked around at all of them scattered around her living room after everyone had a drink if desired and had settled in. Nicky and Joe were on her couch together, Mason sitting on the arm of the same couch beside Nicky. Nile had taken the chair and Andy continued to stand. It wasnt a large apartment by any means, just a simple one bedroom that she managed to make look decent while living alone. She did wish she had straightened up a bit beforehand however, as there was at least one shirt floating around on the back of the couch and some pizza crust on a forgotten plate on the coffee table. “What now?”

“We find out everything you know about what you can do.” Andy replied, arms crossed as she watched the girl. Even if she was cooperating, she didn’t entirely trust her yet. Either of them. “How it works, training… We’ll see where we can go from there.”

Mason glanced at the two sitting closest to him, looking a bit sheepish. “I didn’t… really have training. I just watched Avatar.”

Nile sat up more at that, looking at him dumbfounded. “Avatar like… the cartoon?”

“Yeah, not the blue Avatar but the Last Airbender one.” He shrugged. “It was the only thing I could think of as a resource on like, actually manipulating fire with your body and stuff.”

Nile flopped back against the back cushion of the chair, appearing to take a moment to reevaluate her life. “You have superpowers and to learn it you watched a cartoon?”

“I mean, I did that too.” Layla admitted, raising her hand slightly. “Airbender is in the title so…” she shrugged, looking at Nile who had just draped her arms over the arms of the chair as she slid further back in disbelief. Joe, meanwhile, appeared absolutely delighted by this fact.

“I also tried some other movies like Fantastic Four because of the Human Torch but he just kinda went ‘flame on’ and off he goes so that didn’t help me much.” Mason sighed. 

“Oh my god.” Nile wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry over that fact. 

Layla continued. “Mason sort of did his thing solo, mostly because we had no idea he had powers like me when we discovered mine. My training though wasn’t exactly… normal though?” she wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. “It was mostly testing reactions on what made it work, figuring ways to make it work, then doing things to make the reactions more second nature.”

“She got hit by a truck on purpose.” Mason blurted out before she could go into further detail.

Nicky had just taken a sip from some wine he had snagged from her kitchen, promptly spitting it back out and partially over himself as he missed the glass. Joe laughed as he moved to find something to help clean him up. 

“And jumped off a bridge.” Mason added before anyone could ask anything else.

“Hey!” Layla managed to cut in this time. “Dad jumped off the bridge. I just went after him to catch him.”

“Your dad jumped off a bridge to train you?” Joe asked. “What if he died?”

“Added motivation to get it right.” Layla replied, oddly not seeming that bothered by it. “It was near the end of training, so it was like, a final test sort of thing.”

“That’s messed up. You realize that’s messed up, right?” Nile asked. “Cause if you didn’t catch him that would be on your conscience forever. Or if you didn’t catch yourself there wouldn’t be a forever.”

Layla sighed. “He was an out of the box sort of guy. Impulsive but effective.” Although, she did have to admit that in hindsight it really was a poor idea. A lot of the things they tried during training could have, and sometimes did, hurt her. She had two bruised ribs from the truck incident after all. "And the truck was either stop it or dodge it."

"Which you did neither." Mason pointed out with an amused snort.

“Anyway,” Andy finally jumped in, sounding tired of them just discussing things that didn’t really have any meaningful outcome given the situation. “Cartoons, suicide jumpers… what else? How does it work for you two?”

The siblings looked at one another and then shrugged. “It differs at times. There’s no real... right way for the powers to work that we’ve discovered yet.” Mason replied, swinging one of his legs as he continued to sit on the arm on the couch, the other pulled up under him slightly. “Sometimes its spontaneous, like a sneeze for Layla. It can be tied to emotions, which is how I found out about mine. I got mad and, in the rush, fire happened. But there are times where we have more... I don’t know if it could be called total control, but we can manipulate it at will instead of it running wild. It seems like it can be any number of reasons but the main issue is how much control we have in the moment. I guess that’s what it comes down to.”

Nicky finally took a proper sip of wine and nodded. “So, what it seems like is that we will need to see how you use them for ourselves. Then we can see if there needs to be any better methods used.” He gestured to Layla “You definitely need work on fighting if youre going to keep that up. You had a lot of determination, but absolutely no form. Powers or not, if for nothing else, then self-defense.”

“Same to you.” Andy looked at Mason. “Couldn’t even get out of a jacket. You both have no training when it comes to altercations.”

“That’s not true!” Layla protested. “I’ve been in fights before!”

“And how did those go?” Andy asked.

“Well…” Layla mumbled. She had had some of her guy friends with her at the time and they had been out drinking. Fighting probably wasn’t the best word to use for getting pried off a drunk frat bro who copped a feel before her friends took care of him. “I won?”

“You sound unsure and being in a fight isn't the same as being trained and knowing what you're doing.” She stated simply. “You should never have been green lit to be out doing what either of you do. I’m surprised neither of you has been hospitalized or killed yet.”

“ Oh! A cat!” Joe suddenly gasped as he sat up more on the couch in excitement before bending down with a hand and clicking his tongue as he looked down the hall and periodically nudged Nicky beside him. “Guarda il gattino, Nicky!” The cat, a rather chubby looking short haired gray, looked at the sound but otherwise seemed uninterested as it made its way into the kitchen, prompting Joe to get up and follow.

Layla watched, shaking her head slightly as she called into the kitchen after them. “His name is Dorian. If you can catch him, he does like being held.”

Nile gave a small smirk at that. Dorian Gray. Cute.

“Apologies.” Nicky smiled, setting his wine down to cross his arms and look at Mason. “Now, is there a way that you two have noticed makes them respond more? How is it that you control them?”

“I can feel the air currents.” Layla started, pulling her hair over her shoulder to run her fingers through it, absentmindedly braiding it as she spoke. For a second, Nicky thought he saw a mark on her neck similar to the one on her brother. Another burn? They had been in the explosion together. Andy noticed it too, giving Nicky a look to let him know as much. “sometimes I can sort of see them? Like transparent ghost ribbons. I can touch and grab them, ride them, but also think of things for them to do and they will? I’m not entirely sure how they work that way. They just do. It’s hard to describe.”

“Mine is more just sheer will.” Mason sighed. “Emotions seem to power it up stronger, or already existing heat or flames. But its mostly just ‘you do this’ and it does but only under the right circumstances. I don't get the ribbons to grab or anything. I just have to hope it goes and does where and what i want it to.”

“Yeah, emotions seem to draw the wind in for me, then if I lose control, it just goes shooting out on its own. When I explode, so does the wind. Other than trial and error, we have no idea what works, and especially not why. If it works, it works. If not…”

Nile shook her head. “Man, and I thought we had it bad not knowing. Our bodies just do their own thing. We don’t have to control it. We just have to worry about not getting caught.”

“Which is why we’re here and going to help keep you two from being caught as well. Well, at least more than you already have been.” Andy sounded tired as she said that. Reckless children and this century's love for technology was such a headache. “We already have someone working to cover for you as he does for us. Erasing photos and videos, cutting cameras whenever he’s able to. You two, however, still need to do your part to avoid making a spectacle of yourselves so there’s almost nothing to get rid of in the first place.”

Nicky ran a hand through his hair before taking another drink of wine, listening to Joe coo at the now captured cat in the other room. At least someone here was having a good time. “For now, we start with damage control. Making sure you two don’t just openly show yourselves or your powers. Help you to know what types of environments to avoid or at least keep an eye out when it comes to cameras or witnesses.” Another sip and he licked his lips before gesturing to Layla and Mason with the glass. “So, what we’re going to do besides that is get both of you to demonstrate your abilities to us. We will test your ourselves, yes?” He glanced at Andy for approval before continuing. “And we will train you to fight. To stay safe. That is the most important lesson.”

“Also,” Joe walked back into the living room, the obviously fat gray blob of a cat cradled in his arms like a baby, enjoying just being held and having his belly rubbed. “Perhaps we can also watch this cartoon you spoke of to learn?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian- Guarda il gattino - Look at the Kitty (google translate)


	4. Hands on Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training has begun and although the siblings struggle, they start to find ways of learning that work for everyone.

Layla hit the the ground, almost knocking the wind out of her chest as her back slammed flat against the hard earth. For a split second she saw double from the impact, but it was momentary; coughing as she rolled over and braced on her forearms before getting up. She was panting, tired, sore, and sweaty. Her clothes were covered in grass and dirt stains and she had several scrapes from where she’d gotten unlucky and happened to find a stone on some of the landings. They had found a clearing in one of the larger parks to train in. No cameras, very few people, lots of space to work with.

“You’re not doing what I told you to.” Andy said calmly, almost cold as she started to walk around Layla, circling like a predator did to its prey. “You’re not paying attention. You need to listen and do what I say. Not just do what you think is close enough.”

Nicky was sitting nearby, standing with his arms crossed as he watched. He had been working with Layla for a while on her self-defense, then Andy came and took over for more offensive combat. How this girl ever got cleared to go out and fight crime in any capacity astounded him. Left to her own devices, she was all impulse and best guesses, just doing what she thought might work instead of what would work. She was helpless without her powers, which were also currently banned during this session. No weapons, no powers, just skill.

“Again.” Andy ordered as Layla got up, trying to catch her breath. She could tell the girl was growing frustrated at failing so many times, and it was eating at her. “Focus. Do not let your emotions determine your move. Do what I said and nothing else.”

She charged, reaching for Andy’s middle only to have the other woman grab her instead, lifting her up and over herself before slamming her back to the ground where she then sat on her waist to stare down at her.

“You think this is ever going to work in your favor?” She asked, blowing her bangs out of her face. “Doing as you please and hoping it will work?” she grabbed Layla’s face and turned her head to look over at where Mason was getting tips from Joe. The older man was lifting Mason’s arm and nudging his leg with a foot to show him the proper form. Nile was talking, too far to hear but from her body language, she was giving pointers as well. “Do you think it will save him, doing things your way?”

Layla tried to look away, pursing her lips into a line as she refused to answer. 

“You keep this up and you will get yourself, or someone else killed.” She got off of her and didn’t offer her a hand up as she looked down at her again. “You’re not invincible like they are.”

“They?” Layla scoffed slightly, sitting up with a small groan. “Not ‘we’? Aren’t you their boss or something?”

Andy continued to stare at her before she finally let out a sigh and sat down in front of her, looking off toward Mason and the others. “Not anymore.” She continued before Layla could ask a follow up, one she knew was coming. “We’re immortals, but it does have a limit. We don’t know why, or when. Just… one day we get hurt and it doesn’t heal back up like before. There’s only been one other that we’ve seen it happen to before. His name was Lykon and he was… lifetimes ago.” Layla noticed her eyes and voice seem to go miles away when she said that, obviously remembering. “Now it’s my turn.” 

She then looked back at Layla, taking a moment to read her face. “Right now, I am more mortal than you are with your power, but with my knowledge and training I can easily kick your ass and kill you in more ways than you can even think of in a year. That’s the difference. We both can die, its just a matter now of do you know how not to? That is why we’re doing this. Take away your powers like we are right now and see just how helpless you really are. Now we change that. Don’t let yourself be helpless. They can put you in a helpless situation, but you decide how helpless you truly are. Always have a back up plan. Always have something more to use when they think they’ve stripped you of everything else.”

Layla nodded, looking down at the grass as she pulled it out of the dirt absentmindedly. “Right… change the helplessness…”

A hand came to rest on her shoulder as Nicky smiled down at her. “Come on. Back up for a bit longer? You’ll get it eventually. Ill even do it step by step slower so later you can try and get Andy on her back even for a second.”

“Not gonna happen, Nicky.” Andy smiled, but gave a small nod anyway as Nicky helped Layla to her feet.

Walking around her to move her arm a tad lower, Nicky made sure her stance was what it needed to be for the move Andy wanted. His fingers brushed her bare neck curiously, skimming over the darker scarred flesh. He could see it clearer now up close. It was focused, only on her throat almost like a handprint. 

“Cos'è questo?” He asked, making her flinch back slightly, putting her own hand over it to cover it up. “What is it? What happened?”

“Oh... Just a scar, thats all.” She said softly. “I got it about a year ago. Nothing serious happened. Like, nothing damaged really but the skin so..”

“That doesn’t answer my question, but i will respect your answer if that’s all you wish to share.” He nodded, stepping back slightly in case he crossed a line. 

Layla sighed and shook her head. “I just... dont want to make things more difficult. A lot happened back then and i dont blame what happened...”

Nicky looked over toward Joe, watching the boy with him. “Ah, so thats wht did it.”

“Don’t think bad of him, please?” Layla said, knowing he figured it out. It wasnt hard to do once they knew their powers anyway. A hand shaped burn happening just by chance? Unlikely. “It was just a fight. A sibling rivalry fight that got out of hand. He didnt mean it. He hasnt done anything like that since either. He wasn’t himself.” She knew how it sounded, but it was true. “He was... scared and alone. He found out dad had been helping me, but we didnt know he had powers like i did. He felt overwhelmed and like... dad was playing favorites or something. Since i was the hero of sorts, he figured that like every good story, that had to make him the villian. You know?” She sighed, fingers touching her throat gently. “He was just... hurt. He didnt know how to ask for help and made a mistake...” Her tone changed slightly, voice going soft at the last part.

Nicky tilted his head slightly. “Layla, what happened to your father?”

“I move my arms like this, right?” Layla asked after swallowing the lump in her throat, quickly changing the subject back to the training. Nicky wouldn’t pry any further. Maybe later he would find out, but for now these kids needed proper guidance and training. That was priority. She got into the position he showed her, making sure she had it down, then went after Nicky this time.

Across the field, Mason was working with Joe on how to now escape different holds, going over them again and again until they were almost boring. Later, Joe would grab him randomly to test how much had become muscle memory through the day but for now, this was good. He was just a kid after all so nothing too harsh. At least opposed to Andy and Nicky as he heard Layla yelp from another flip.

“I want to learn more fighting.” Mason said as he twisted out of Joes current grasp. “I want to be useful. Layla’s learning to fight.”

Joe sighed. “You’re young. Focus on being safe first. That’s why we do this.” He grabbed Mason again in the same hold. “And she’s learning to escape and be on the defensive the same as you are. Just a different way.” Layla swore in the distance and he held back a smile of amusement at that. Girl was definitely determined. “The way things are now, you two are in danger. You’ve made yourselves known and people are bound to come for you when word spreads outside this city. Which is highly likely as we managed to find you in the first place.”

Mason ducked under Joe’s arm, stepping to the side to break free again. “But there has to be other things we can do. You guys can’t just fight hand to hand, can you? Even if you’re immortal, you can die. That takes time, and you’ve said that it still feels the same. You have to do something else to protect yourselves.”

“We use guns,” He admitted. “Other weapons as well when it calls for it. Andy uses a battle ax; Nicky and I use our swords.”

Mason seemed to perk up at that. “Swords? Really? That’s a thing you can fight with for real? Like, n modern day battles and stuff?” Joe nodded. He would have to talk to Layla, but maybe they could get a small jump in training due to that fact. “Did you guys all live in the same time?”

“Andy is the oldest of us.” Joe replied as he stepped back, getting ready to switch with Nile for a while just to give Mason different holds with different people. “No one really knows when she happened, and she won’t tell us so its possible she doesn’t remember at this point. Then there is Quyhn, there was Lykon, Booker is French Revolution. You haven’t met any of them and might not ever to be honest. Nicky and I actually found out we were immortal around the same time.” He looked over toward his partner and smile as he spoke. “Opposite sides of the Crusades; tried again and again to kill one another only to keep getting back up. Now, I couldn’t imagine going through this life without him.” Mason glanced at Joe to read his expression when he said that last bit, noticing his voice turn a lot more tender when he did. 

“I’m the newest.” Nile raised her hand. “Died overseas over a year ago. Born in ‘94 so, yeah… This is all new to me as well. I still have questions about it now and then but it’ll work out. Just like this will for you guys. Little time and practice and you’ll have this all down in no time.”

The boy nodded, all three of them looking over at Nicky as he pinned Layla to the ground, much to the girl’s frustration. Another hour and Mason’s would have escaping most holds almost down, and Layla would have flipped Nicky once but never Andy.

\-------------------------------------------------------

The next week, Mason came to the park with a backpack and a grin, Layla trailing not far behind him looking eager to get going today, even after her complaining and struggling the previous afternoon.  
“I know you said we’d work on defense, but you said something a while ago I wanted to try out.” Mason said as he set the backpack down once they reached the Guard and unzipped it, pulling out several gray plastic tubes. “Joe said you guys also used swords and so I thought that today we could try fighting with them. Layla and I used to do it all the time as kids. Thought it might be fun.”

Layla immediately picked up one that she had been eying, flicking her wrist to send a cascade of clear colored tubes shooting out of the handle and into the more familiar shape of something resembling a sword. “Watched Star Wars on repeat and we’d just beat the shit out of each other for hours. I think we even memorized a few of the fight scenes.” She rolled her wrist then to twist and turn the blade of the lightsaber, getting a feel for it again.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Nile laughed, picking up one for herself. “You want to have a lightsaber fight for training?”

Joe and Nicky were inspecting the ones that Mason had handed them, both looking curious and amused. “Well, they won’t do any damage.” Nicky decided as he gently poked Joe in the side and watched the sword revert inside itself slightly. “It would definitely play into the muscle memory, even if the weight is wrong for a real sword.”

“Dibs on being Sith!” Layla shot her hand into the air as Andy just shook her head and examined the lightsaber she’d been handed. Was this to be a free for all?

Layla and Mason stood across from one another, both taking stances without being instructed, eyes focused and bodies still as they waited. Mason held his blue colored saber upright and ready, while Layla’s red one was poised at her side and slightly behind herself. They moved just a second apart, the other pouncing the moment the other did. The plastic smacked off one another repeatedly and quickly, the siblings attacking and blocking one another. From their motions, the others could tell that this was real for them, they were actually trying to hit one another. 

Mason jumped back and swung for Layla’s middle, making her rock onto her toes and lean back slightly before he twirled his saber and went for another attack. Layla grinned and flipped her’s around behind her back to switch hands to block him. This right here was their muscle memory. Hours of fun while taking their fight very seriously as children led to this showdown years later. 

“Impressive.” Andy had to admit as she watched. “There’s some actual techniques in there.”

“Yeah, they used to at least use some in the older ones. They were based off old samurai movies and then took some Chinese and European styles in the newer ones. Although even I can tell that as the newer ones kept coming out, the techniques just became twirly bullshit.” Nile shrugged but smiled as she flicked her saber out to it’s full green glory. Pressing a button, it glowed and made the electrical hum sound effect. “If they keep this up, its gonna get a lot more interesting.”

“How so?” Joe asked as he and Nicky just poked one another back and forth for fun as they watched.

Nile gestured with her blade toward Layla as she jumped back ad twirled her handle, flicking it firmly behind her to cause a second blade to pop out, which made the guys promptly lose their minds for a moment. “Her’s is the double sided kind.”

Layla knew the rules of no powers, but couldn’t help pushing him back with a gust of wind to mimic the force push. She’d always wanted to do that but Mason called foul almost immediately. Next time they fought each other they could use powers, but not this round. Layla and Mason continued their fight for a while before Layla managed to hit his arm and then point a plastic tip to his throat, both panting and grinning. “I win. You lost your arm and your life.”

He just grinned and nodded, lowering his arm from battle position. “Alright. Next round though…”

“I call next round.” Andy said, twirling the saber in her hand, assessing it slightly as she eyed Layla. “Let’s see if you can hit me.”

They all spent the afternoon fighting one another. Mason took on Nile while Layla tried (and failed) to get Andy, although she did hold her own for longer than Andy had assumed she would have. Joe and Nicky faced off only to kiss every time the other managed to land a hit, which Layla and Mason had earlier established as a win. This led to them teaming up against Layla and Mason; with Nile and Andy teaming up to take on the winners from each team. This meant that Layla and Joe went into the final round before sudden death. They would mix and match on and off for fun when not in a training round battle, meaning that as Joe and Andy had their championship battle, Nile and Layla got to fight one another girl on girl. Mason meanwhile laid town in the grass to catch his breath and Nicky cheered on Joe as he sat close by.

“You’re good at this.” Nile smiled as she and Layla whacked the toys against one another, moving around the grass trying to make contact anywhere they could. “Could always use a sword as your back up.”

“I don’t kill.” She replied, dodging a hit and almost stumbling in the process. “I also don’t think they’d like someone running around like Leonardo Ninja Turtle.”

Nile nodded at that, cracking a smile as well. “True, and sword wounds aren’t neat. That’d leave quite a lot to explain if anyone happened to see you.” It was fun to see everyone letting lose and not take themselves that seriously even though they were training, especially Andy. She had been smiling quite a bit today, even when fighting. She figured the fact that no one could really even get hurt while going all out helped with that. 

“Could always change my uniform color to red instead of shades of gray.” Layla teased, swiping just past Nile’s shoulder as she dodged. 

“Problem solved!” Nile laughed, arms outstretched for just a moment before she blocked Layla, having to react quickly to block the second blade from the other direction. She attacked, then blocked, then rushed Layla after swatting an attack to the side, opening her up for an attack. Nile smacked her hand to make her drop the saber then grabbed her arm and flipped her as they had in training the last week.

“Damn it! That’s cheating!”

“No.” She panted, grinning as she held out a hand to help her up. “Just combined the training sessions. Be ready for anything.” After helping Layla up, she looked at the group, either resting or smacking one another with the plastic toys, but all smiling. "This was a really smart idea. This the kind of training your dad would do? Unconventional but out of the box?"

Layla nodded and sighed, smiling at the thought. "Yeah. I mean, If you're gonna learn and make it stick, there's different ways to do it: drill it into your head by repetition, put it to a song, or make it fun. He always tried to do the latter. Might not have been the best idea in the long run for our situation, but it worked at the time." Taking a deep breath, she looked at Nile. "I want to do this. I want to learn as much and as well as I can. Not even for my sake. I want to protect Mason, if no one else."

Nile smiled, putting arm arm around her shoulder, resting her cheek against the shorter woman's head. "You will. You've got this, and we've got you. Okay? Don't forget that you're not alone in this anymore."


	5. New Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before they head out to a new mission and leave the siblings on their own, Nile and Layla take some time to bond

“So, with us heading out here soon, you two think you’ll be okay without us for a while until we can check in?” Nile asked, following Layla into the café and sitting at a table against the wall, making sure she was facing the door out of habit. “It should hopefully be only a few weeks but apparently things happen.”

Layla nodded as she picked up one of the small double sided menus and skimmed the options. There were some new items compared to when she was here last, always trying to come at least once a week. “Yeah, you guys have us some good things we can keep working on until you come back and can level us up. Or however that works. Get the simple stuff down perfectly and build off that and all.” She smiled as she looked at Nile. “I think we should be okay for a week or two without supervision. It’s not like we’re going to burn down the city once your backs are turned. This time, anyway.”

“You’d better! This place seems really cute and I haven’t gotten a real good look around tourist style.” Nile caught the joke, but noted it seemed slightly forced and also based off a true statement. Her eyes glanced at Layla’s neck but she didn’t say anything about it as she remembered reading the file Copley had opened. An incident on the police department roof, casualties, “unexplained” structural damage. What had happened there exactly, and how had they been involved? 

“Anyway,” Nile decided to try changing the subject. “What’s good here? You said you come here a lot so I figure you’d be the expert.”

Layla nodded. “Their hot cocoa is really good! They add flavored cream to it, some cinnamon, whipped cream, chocolate syrup drizzle, and sprinkles. But they also have marshmallows, so it depends on what kind you get. Peppermint creamer, hazelnut, caramel… they make all their drinks really nice. They’re super good, but them looking so fancy probably helps with business too because, you know, Instagram?”

“Ah, yeah. That’s one way to do it.” Nile nodded, looking over to other drink options, deciding on a latte of some sort and then looking at the food offered. Muffins, bagels, some sandwiches and cakes. She had to admit, this was a really quaint little shop. She could see why Layla had become a regular. Fairly lights were strung up around the windows and across the walls, and with the cooling weather, it looked like they were making a shift into the more fall decorations soon. She would bet money that this place became the ideal photo spot for warm holiday drinks when it got colder. “So, Mason and you know about one another. Your dad knew, a few cops it seems… Anyone else besides us now?”

“For cops its just Carter, Eric, Jeffy, and Jude. My friend Alex knows. He’s helped with sewing me back up sometimes after bad nights.” She put a hand on one of her shoulders absentmindedly and gave it a small squeeze, almost as if the thought was embarrassing. “He’s really good, considering he had to work in actual hospitals before becoming a medical examiner.” If Nile had a drink already, she would have spit it out. An M.E. fixed this girl up to avoid hospitals. Well, that certainly explained that little question they had about missing medical records. “Although, I’m probably harder to work on, since I actually move and complain.”

The other woman shook her head, trying not to laugh. She did have a point, but that’s not something she had expected as an answer. A vet maybe, or just a med student friend. Someone who worked with the police over dead bodies was not even on her radar. Perhaps that was a good thing. “An M.E… That’s certainly one good card to keep in your hand with what you do, all things considered.”

She nodded. “Yup! He lectures a lot though. Telling me the limits of the human body sometimes like how high someone can fall before they die, or how close to an artery a knife was at some point. I get why he does it, but being stabbed by him as he stitches me up is bad enough without him going on and on…”

“He has valid points though. You’re not like us.” Nile said softly, noticing a waitress smile at Layla before heading over. “You won’t always get back up.”

"Yeah, he says he doesn't like working on me, but he likes it that I'm still moving this time at least." Layla turned to beam at the girl who approached their table, most likely someone she saw as a friend with her coming in so often. Nile remembered having a few places where she was on a friendly first name basis with employees. One’s that always smiled and waved at her when she entered, ones that knew her usual order. 

“Nadja!” Layla smiled, introducing Nile without actually doing so. She would let her decide how much to tell her. “This is my friend from out of town. I just had to show her this place before she left. What do you have that’s good today?”

The little mousy woman smiled and tilted her head slightly, making her messy bun look like it was about to fall out. Nile assumed it probably had been a busy day, but she didn’t let it show besides the slightly frazzled appearance of her hair. 

“Besides everything?” She teased. “Well, Matty is trying out a few new syrups and such for the upcoming season so if you want to try his take on pumpkin spice something early…” 

Layla was nodding excitedly. Nile had to smile. She was one of those kind of girls, huh? At least she enjoyed herself. “Yes please! Your surprises are always super good. You know just the kind of stuff I’ll like.”

Nadja nodded and looked expectantly at Nile. “And for you? We also have some fresh baked cookies coming out in a few minutes. I can sneak a few over before they’re really cooled down. Nice and warm.”

“That’d be nice, thank you.” Nile replied, giving a slight nod at the offer, as long as it was okay, anyway. “I’ll just have a Latte? Maybe some extra caramel, please.”

“Got it.” Nadja beamed and turned to go get their orders as Layla leaned forward on her arms toward Nile.

“She’s nice. Started a bit after I started coming here. She handed me a mistake once or twice and then it just kind of became a regular thing on purpose. I don’t order, she just hands me something and I drink it. So far, it’s a great system with a lot of surprises. There’s been some things I never would have considered trying but I do think she’s a natural at guessing people. You know? Like, some people just seem to know the kind of book you’d enjoy, or music. That’s Nadja but with drinks.”

“Neat talent.” Nile agreed, leaning back a bit in her seat, still keeping her eyes peeled even though she was allowing herself to relax. “So, There’s some cops, Alex. Anyone else?”

Layla nodded, humming slightly. “Monica. She’s a reporter. Sweet girl. She’s kept us out of the paper a few times from what I heard.”

Another question answered then. Someone in media running interference when possible. 

“She’s dating one of the cops, Carter.” Layla smiled. “He’s known me since I was in high school and I’ve known him since he was a rookie. They’re really cute together too.” She thought for a moment. “Let’s see… I don’t think there’s anyone else in the work circle who knows, but Mom does. And Teagan.”

“Teagan?” Nile asked, raising a brow. 

“Oh, she’s our kid sister.” Layla said, pushing herself up off the table to sit upright. “It was an accident really. Nosy kid figured it out.”

“Hold up, there’s more of you?” Nile almost choked. Three? Maybe more? This would have been important to know earlier.

“Hm? Yeah, kinda. There’s me, Mason, and then Teagan. But only me and Mas have powers.” She clarified once she realized why Nile looked about to panic slightly. “She wasn’t in the room when the explosion happened, so she got lucky and got to stay normal. Although I’m pretty sure she’d argue against that.” She let out a soft chuckle at the thought. “But she’s a kid, so I don’t really blame her thinking superheroes and powers and stuff are cool. I don’t think at that age it really sinks in what all is necessary to do it, you know? The physical effort, the lack of sleep… It’s hard enough at that age to balance school and outside life like sports or friends, or even both. Add a job and then a secret life to that mess? I think I really would have given up if I’d been younger.”

“How did they find out?”

“Hm?” Layla came out of her little musing state when asked that, taking a moment before she broke into a grin. “Teagan’s nosy! That’s basically it. She found out about the hero thing and started poking around for more details. Ran a fan blog or something. You know, like teenage fangirls do? I guess she found something and put two and two together. She’s too smart for her own good sometimes.” She propped her chin in her hand as she looked out the window, voice drifting off a bit as she started really thinking about it. “She’s just fourteen though. I’m glad she’s still normal so she can enjoy it and deal with normal problems. Instead of this mess me and Mason got wrapped up in. As for how mom found out, she’s a mom. Mason was acting weird, she noticed bruises on me sometimes, then the whole thing with Dad happened and she knew. I think I’d be surprised if she didn’t know actually… She worries a lot, and keeps Mason from going out most nights if she can help it. She say’s its cause of school but I know its cause she worries about him. And me; but I’m an adult and don’t live at home, you know? But it’s nice she knows. It’s nice that she cares and worries over us.”

Layla was quiet for a moment before she sighed and closed her eyes. “I do feel bad making her worry so much… I know she wishes we’d stop, but she also doesn’t just forbid it. I think it’s cause she knows we’re trying to do the right thing… She doesn’t like it, but.. I dunno. It’s complicated being someone’s kid but also trying to think like an adult from their perspective now. I don’t want Mason out with me, but sometimes he’s needed and I also know he’d be out there anyway. So it’s better to have him be backup instead of trying to run things alone, you know?”

Nile took a moment to let that sink in before nodding. It would be nice if her family knew, but she was still holding off on telling them everything. After all, they thought she was dead now anyway. “You don’t want to make her worry, but you don’t want to let her down because she raised you to live a certain way. She taught you to do the right thing, even when it’s hard.” She and Layla were a lot alike, which is probably why they clicked so easily. About the same age, both have brothers, both lost their fathers and got powers they never asked for. They also both were currently breaking their mother’s hearts. 

“There’s a guy I know who could relate to both of us.” She smiled slightly. “He’s an immortal like me but lost his family after they found out. I don’t think it’s my place to share his story right now, but I know that he’d understand both your mom’s feelings and yours. He would probably have some good advice.” Nile pulled out her hone to shoot Booker a text. After all, exile was just him staying away, they never said anything to her about communication the modern way. She was probably abusing a loophole but she was going to use it for as long as she was able to. “Holding on to pain and regret doesn’t help though. Learn from it, but don’t let it control you.”

Layla sighed and nodded, looking over to see if their drinks were ready yet. “Yeah, my dad said something similar once. You can’t always pick how or what you learn, but you chose what to do with what you now know.”

Nile raised a brow. “Good quote.”

Layla smiled. “I used to think his sayings were so lame. You know, Dads trying too hard to be cool and saying something cheesy instead.” 

“Or saying things you didn’t understand when you were younger because you hadn’t experienced it yet.” Nile smiled. “Then it happens and you’re like, oh, so that’s what he meant. Turns out theyre not just some adult trying to be cool and deep. They know shit.”

Both girls laughed as Nadja came back and laced their drinks and cookies down. “There you go, fresh out of the oven. Extra caramel.” She turned to Layla and handed her the mystery drink, smiling brightly “And a little something special just for you.”

“Thanks so much, Nadja.” Layla cupped the drink in her hands, enjoying the warmth before taking a sip. “Ah, this is delicious!” 

The girl smiled almost a little wider if possible before seeming to remember something. “Oh! Layla, you said you would show me your cat sometime.”

"Oh right, i did promise last time, didnt i?" Layla nodded, pulling her phone out and typing in the code to unlock it and show her. Nadja gushed for a bit, asking questions about Dorian before she had to return to work, day apparently so much better due to a fat cat.

“I envy her, you know.” Layla mused, taking another drink as she watched Nadja work. “She has a normal life and has no clue how good that is. She has no clue how even it being boring can be something to miss.”

Nile drank her own latte, perking when she tasted it. It was delicious. Hopefully she wouldn’t be gone too long and could visit again sometime. “I know that feeling. But we just have to find our groove now in the new normal life gave us. You know? Find somewhere else in the mess to complain about it being boring.”

“I guess.” Layla sighed, looking down at the coffee lid where Nadja had drawn a little flower like she normally did for Layla. “It does get kind of repetitive getting shot at so often though.”

Nile laughed and nudged her as best she could from where she sat. “I don’t think that’s a good thing to get used to.”


	6. Red Flags

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One mission rolls into another and things get more complicated as some digging uncovers far more than what they anticipated.

Nicky kept his aim steady, breathing calm as he lined up his next shot, working to cover Nile as she ran around below. Andy was also working with them, but she was currently checking cameras as she stayed in a room nearby. It had taken quite the effort to do so but they managed to keep her in charge by giving them directions and protecting them from where she was. She also could swoop in as backup if things got too heated as a last resort. It was a process, getting her used to being mortal again, but they were managing. Running the surveillance aspect allowed her to keep an eye on all areas necessary and alert her team to any threats they might not know about. Some jobs would not get her cooperation but this time they managed. Joe was already inside the building, working undercover as insider intel. It made Nickys stomach sick to not be able to see him and know what was going on where he was. He just had to trust his lovers ability, which he did without question. It was the opposing forces he doubted.

They had spent about three months working on this job so far, from observing the enemy and those they were working to protect, to planning how to go about preventing the coup they had heard about. Now they only had one shot to get all the key players taken care of. They had already taken out several smaller locations but where they were now would put an end to it. If they didn’t get the guy they were aiming for, there was the possibility of regrouping and trying again another time. Like a snake, they were after the head.

“You’re clear, Nile. Push forward.” Andy said into the comms, watching as the area in front of her cleared of guards who were checking on the commotion caused by Nicky shooting a planted barrel, causing a fairly large, but also relatively harmless explosion. They had been careful about collateral damage, both of property and civilian lives. This location wasn’t a war zone, or at least, it shouldn’t be. There was a lot more people in the area who were at risk as opposed to being threats and they were trying to keep them out of the conflict as much as possible.

Nicky kept an eye on the guards investigating the distraction as Nile made her move, darting through the alley and into the building to meet up with Joe, who had been working undercover for a few weeks now. As she walked through the hallways, gun drawn and ready, she heard a commotion up ahead. Yelling, things being knocked over, gunshots. She went a bit faster, trying to stay careful but get there soon as possible. She was calmer now that she had gotten more used to it. Her time as a marine helped, but also the little added encouragement that she, most likely, would get back up if anything went wrong gave her that little boost to go harder than she would before.

Turning a corner, she fired two shots at someone earlier identified as a threat, moving over their body to get to the other room. She came to the main office where Joe had last checked in, kicking open the door to find the local politician looking shaken, holding a gun over a dead body and Joe sitting against a wall, his suit bloodied from a few shots to the chest. Nile kept that detail to herself for the moment as she kicked a weapon out of the hand of the one on the ground before she knelt and touched their neck. Other men were also down, seeing as how Joe had been the only bodyguard present (having passed the others taken out in the hallways), she knew these had to be his handiwork. Especially with how uncertain the Prime Minister looked holding the gun, no doubt handed to him by Joe as a precaution.

“Target is down. The Prime Minister is safe.” She then looked over at Joe, holding her breath for just a moment before he gasped and groaned, holding his chest a bit in discomfort. “Joe is too.”

Nicky let out a sigh of relief at that, although when he saw Joe’s shirt a while later, he would have quite a few choice words for his lover, most of which Nile wouldn’t understand and Andy wouldn’t interpret.

In the meantime, Joe got up, buttoning his jacket to cover as many of the bullet holes ruining his shirt as possible. “They got lucky and almost got their way.” He sighed, shaking his leg a bit to drop a bullet out of his pants. “Didn’t expect them to have a security officer on their side. I thought we checked them all.”

“We did. But only what we could trace. It could be he was someone’s brother and all info was exchanged in person.” Nile shrugged. “Is that what happened? The double agent turn on you?” 

Joe held out his arms in a slight shrug of defeat. “Yes, but I still win as I’m the one walking away from this.”

“Tell that to Nicky.” She replied, raising a brow as a half joke, half threat. She had gotten more comfortable with them during her time with them, finding it much easier to just go with their flow more now than it had been at the very beginning. 

They had to clear things up as much as possible now, Copley needing to do his part as well, but they were finally done with the main part of the job, meaning they could relax for hopefully a little while.   
Nile had some things she personally wanted to do, such as touching base with the siblings, but also doing some more research on the side. Merrick’s company was still running without him, because of course shareholders and board members existed, so she had been keeping an eye on their activity when she could. This last mission had taken up most of her free time so it had been a while but checking in now and then after what happened helped her feel at ease. At least it had been. She had noticed some new research going on, but it was still early on and wasn’t exactly sure what it would become. It was pharmaceuticals, so she tried to give them the benefit of a doubt, as they did have some valid research and experiments to conduct.

There was one file she had found in particular that had raised some red flags for her. Project: Progeny. The reports were all in language that she had a hard time understanding due to legal and medical jargon (she could do it, but it would take time) but also found some new files that were locked behind a password. More secret research, but even some for cancer treatments she had found weren’t guarded this strongly. This wasn’t just a trade secret; this was something else. This was something they did not want getting out. 

Keeping at it, she managed to get one of the protected files open, revealing a bunch of photos and numbers. The photos were all of young individuals, most not seeming to be out of their teens yet, some maybe in their early twenties but for the most part it was a folder filled with essentially high school aged children. This made her extremely uncomfortable. When she stopped to work out the number code, she realized it was all dates. Some were older, she suspected they were birthdates. Then there was often a set of two dates under that one, like a start and stop date; all of which started within the last six months or so and some only lasting a few weeks maximum for whatever duration they were listed for.

Curious, Nile downloaded the photos, planning to run them through a search to see if she could find out their names, most likely through social media. She did not expect to open a whole can of worms in the process, although with the company involved, it wasn’t that surprising in hindsight. 

Joe peeked over her shoulder as she had been sitting for hours at the laptop in their hotel room, working without stopping. 

“What are you doing?”

“Joe,” Nile looked at the screen, eyes almost scared as she managed to glance up at him. “I’m going to send you some files. I need you to help me go through this and see if youre seeing what I am. I think we might need to take a detour before going back to the siblings.” He nodded and started getting his own computer out as she started attaching them to send to him, skimming each one as she copied them to make sure she was getting all the accurate information. “And until we’re sure about this, don’t tell Andy.” She said, almost asking permission to keep this a secret, just for a little bit until they had everything for sure. 

“I cant promise that, but I will make sure that this wont become a reckless situation.” Joe said. Andy was clever. Reckless in a sense now that she was human, but she was still careful. She would want all the details before charging in guns blazing. Even then, she would make sure each shot was calculated. “If this turns into a job, we will make sure it is planned out as well as the others, no matter what time limit we are given to complete it. We give every job our all.” He reminded her, offering a small smile. “We have your back as much as you have ours.”

Nile nodded, accepting that answer and relaxing slightly as she continued to work. The dates given were hard to understand outside the birthday for the individuals age. The youngest was 15 they found. The oldest about 25. There were so many firewalls to get through on each file, reports to be read as they tried to figure out what exactly was going on with these protected files. It was some kind of testing, but they couldn’t figure out what just yet. All of the trials ended in failure as they reached the end of each one. 

“I don’t understand this…” Nile groaned as she rubbed her neck and then leaned back in her chair. “Bunch of kids and people my age that they do something to for a few weeks then stop the trials. What are they doing that this has to be so closely guarded? What are they hiding?”

Joe made a slight face. “Well, for starters, some of their test subjects have been found dead.” As Nile sat up, he turned his screen to face her. “I’ve found at least three so far from ‘mysterious circumstances’. There’s also another four listed as missing, two suicides, and one in hospital currently in a coma with no signs of waking up any time soon. Whatever it is they’re doing, they’re hiding it for a good reason and the reason is that it is Very Bad.”

“So.” Nicky said as he came out of the bathroom, hair damp from his shower he had taken to kill time after finishing a book as he had let the two of them work. He was wearing, if Nile had to guess, one of Joe’s shirts as it was just a tad too baggy on him to be a natural fit. Andy had slept and then gone out to get food for the four of them. “when do we kick their asses a second time?”

“Once we know exactly what’s going on and why, my love.” Joe sighed, unhappy by the fact they couldn’t act right away, as he knew his partner shared the sentiment. “If we’re going to stop them, it needs to be thorough and for good this time.”

Nicky sighed, nodding and wrapping his arms around Joe as he rested his chin on his shoulder. “Si, si… I just hate that its come to this. I hoped we were finished with them, and them with us.”

Nile reached for her phone, sending Layla a text to let her know she’d be checking in eventually, but they were running into some issues that were keeping them. Due to time zones, there was no reply right away, allowing Nile to get a few hours after eating whatever Andy had decided would suit them for food. Nicky kept swearing he would make them something when this was all over, wanting a proper meal over quick to go options. Nicky took over for a while when Joe started to rub at his eyes, allowing the man to fill in Andy on what they were doing now. None of them had wanted to get involved with Merrick again in any form, but Nile wanting to make sure they were behaving and keeping off their tail seemed to have accidentally put a wrench in that plan.

Nile woke up to a text back, rubbing her eyes as she read the reply. 

[Hey who is this? Your number isn’t saved.]

[It’s Nile.] She replied, yawning a bit as she watched the bubble pop up before another answer.

[Oh! My bad. I’ll put you in right now. How are you? It’s been a while!]

That was a red flag for Nile. She had told Layla ahead of time that they used burner phones. She should know not to save their number for safety but also because it would be changing again soon if necessary. She decided to test if it was an accident.

[How’s work going? Carter ask you out yet?]

There was a pause in the reply, bubble popping up then disappearing a few times before a reply. 

[Lol not yet. I wish he would though. Boy needs to get a move on.]

Last time they had spoken, Layla had told her Cater was a friend who was dating a journalist. She had said how cute they were together and had made no indication that she was interested at all in him. Something was off. Something was wrong.

One last try. One last test. A blatant lie from Nile that didn’t even happen could be the final nail in the coffin.

[How’d that broken toe heal after our last night out?]

Another pause. Bubbles appearing and disappearing again. For Nile, it almost seemed to take too long to answer.

[Lol I cant believe you remembered. What a night, right? I’m all healed up now though.]

Nile looked up at the two by the computers, Andy leaning over Nicky as Joe had finally fallen asleep on one of the two beds that Nile hadn’t taken earlier. 

“Something is wrong. Something happened.” She said, making Joe sit up a bit, groggy but paying close attention all the same. “Layla isn’t Layla.”

Joe got up to move closer, checking the messages as Nile held out her phone for confirmation as he read over them. “How is she not herself? This is her number. We checked before we left.”

“Carter is her friend. Not a crush.” Nile clarified “She told me right before we left that he was dating someone else. And that last bit was something I just made up. Why would she reply to it like that if she knows its me and also knows it never happened? That’s not Layla answering.”

Nicky looked over his shoulder at Nile, taking a deep breath. “I know why.”

Joe and Nile both scrambled to join him and Andy around the hotel room desk. He had managed to crack open one of the firmly sealed files. There were still several more but this was just the icing on the cake for what they were going to find later.

On Nickys screen was a video of Layla, similar to what had happened to them on the kill floor. A scene which had the three original guard members tense jus at the sight of it.  
What started out as a fairly normal fight had her sending a blast at her opponent, throwing him against the wall hard enough to knock them out. She turned then, eyes hidden behind her mask as she faced the second assailant who came at her with a knife. She dodged the slashes and then jumped up, getting an extra boost with her wind to flip over him before pressing on his shoulders hard as she came back down to knock him off balance. A sweep of her hand sent the knife he had fumbled sliding across the floor. As the door opened and more men came in with guns drawn, Layla jumped/flew up into the rafters to try and hide and get out of range; if nothing else than to make it difficult. They had her on video using her powers, much as they had managed to get the guard to do over a year ago.  
Nicky watched it play out then pointed to the screen as he switched to another file within the folder. “She only has two dates listed, not three like the others.” Birthday, day of admission, and day of ‘release’ if their guesses were correct. “The reason shes not replying how she should is that its not Layla youre texting. They want you to think everything is still normal. But as of three months ago they have her documented in their little test group. Two weeks after we left, they found her.”

They all were quiet for a moment before Nile gripped her phone. “We need to get back there. We need to find Mason and find out what happened. Who is texting for Layla and why?”


End file.
